New shows lack inventiveness

Published 5:30 am, Wednesday, March 15, 2006

American Inventor, produced by American Idol judge Simon Cowell (among others), could stand some reinvention itself. Thursday's two-hour premiere is a bloated disappointment that spends more time on the judges than the inventors and their inventions.

Like American Idol, the show (7 p.m. Thursday, ABC/Channel 13) is likely to become more focused as it goes along. Let's hope so, because the premiere is a mess that plays out like one of Idol's early-season tryouts. Weirdly dressed contestants get booted to the curb, with viewers often not seeing their inventions, only hearing their bad-mouthing of the judges.

Those tuning in to see some imaginative inventions will be cursing the judges, too. They dominate the show. Each of the four — Ed Evangelista, Mary Lou Quinlan, Doug Hall and Peter Jones — get extended segments explaining who they are. They are a curious focal point considering how little judging they actually do.

Three of the four must say yes for an inventor to continue with the show, and most of these initial two hours is spent saying no.

No to Hector and his "Bladder Buddy," a clothing cover that allows the user to urinate in public without flashing people.

No to Allen and his audio output jack on the back of the guitar instead of the front and sides.

No to James and his "Walk Buddy," a "safety wand" for protection against approaching cougars and bears.

To be fair, there are a couple of nifty inventions on view here, too.

"We told the judges that we would rather you were human about the approach rather than completely scientific, otherwise it turns into a gadget show," Cowell said in an interview. "The show has a lot of similarities to Idol in that you can relate to the person coming into the room and form an opinion early on."

He said 10,000 people applied. Most of them must be losers, based on Thursday's show.

"Sixty (percent) to 65 percent are flakes," Cowell confirmed.

Eventually, 12 finalists will be selected. Each will get $50,000 to take his invention "to the next level." Four finalists will emerge, and viewers will decide who deserves a $1 million prize.

That's if enough viewers stick around. If future episodes are executed as poorly as the first, don't count on a long run.

A hook for The Loop

It's about Sam (Bret Harrison), a young executive at a Chicago-based airline. Sam struggles with the demands of the job and maintaining a party-hearty connection with his three roommates: older brother Sully (Eric Christian Olsen), the new-week/new-job prankster; Lizzy (Sarah Mason), a bartender; and Piper (Amanda Loncar), a med student clueless that Sully loves her.

This group loves to party — there's a lot of tequila going down in the first two episodes — and the fun threatens to part Sam from his job at every turn.

The true funny comes from Philip Baker Hall, who plays Sam's bitter boss, and Mimi Rogers, a co-worker who firmly believes in sexual harassment on the job.

But these are adults in a show aimed at young males. Minor players aren't reason enough to stick with The Loop.